The Shortcut - My Documents

Developed for Yahoo! Widget Engine, The Shortcut - My Documents is a lightweight widget that gives users the possibility to rapidly access the My Document directory in their default file navigator, whether it's Windows Explorer or anything else.

Yahoo! Widget Engine is a software framework that's no longer being developed, and gadgets specifically made for this platform can no longer be downloaded from the official website. However, the application framework and The Shortcut - My Documents can be downloaded and installed from Softpedia, since they are both still operational.

Blending it with the application framework is a simple task that requires only confirmation to set up. The widget's frame is small and shows the logo of a folder, which launches the My Document directory on click.

The default path set by the maker might not work on all operating systems, so clicking it might not trigger any action. In this case, users can visit the settings panel to set the path to a custom directory, either by pasting it from the Clipboard or by using the built-in file browser.

There might be some issues with using the file navigator because The Shortcut - My Documents doesn't actually identify folders but files instead. However, this can be easily resolved by indicating a file inside the target folder and then erasing the part of the path that represents the file name and extension.

This works whether users wish to gain quick access to My Documents or any other favorite directory on a local, removable or network location. The folder icon cannot be customized, though, and there are no options for adding shortcuts to more than one directory.

Due to the integrated features offered by Yahoo! Widget Engine, it's possible to set the frame to sit on top or below any other open panels, tweak its transparency, ignore mouse events, and prevent dragging.